2011 Atlanta Braves Player Review: Brian McCann

by Scott Coleman on Nov 11, 2011 10:01 AM EST

Where does one begin with Brian McCann, the best catcher in all of baseball?

Braves fans saw the very best and the very worst of our All-Star catcher in 2011. Before straining his oblique in what was quite possibly the weirdest game we have ever witnessed, McCann was a legitimate MVP candidate. At the time of his injury, which was July 26, Mac was batting .306/.375/.514 with a team-best wOBA of .381. He was hitting for power, getting on base, and was a consistent force in the lineup every night of the week.

The oblique injury kept him out of action for just under three weeks, though in hindsight McCann came back way too soon. After returning to the lineup on August 14, he simply was not the superstar that Braves Country has grown to love.

It was excruciatingly painful to watch him struggle down the stretch the way he did. We have grown to expect so much more from the man affectionally called, "Heap".

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2011 - Brian McCann	128	466	51	126	19	0	24	71	57	89	3	2	.270	.351	.466

In August and September, McCann hit .178/.296/.352 with a wOBA of .275. Those are Francoeurian numbers. After belting 16 homers in the first four months of the season, he hit just six the rest of the way. Mac struck out more times in September (22) than he did in any other month, and his ability to throw out potential base stealers was nonexistent.

Braves fans will point to many reasons for the epic collapse in September, but the loss of Mac was the tip of the iceberg. The team lost its best player for three weeks, and even once he returned, his impact was not felt on the lineup.

Outlook for 2012:

Brian McCann is going to be the catcher in Atlanta for quite some time. It appears that he entered his prime in 2011 and we are going to be treated to another great season from our talented catcher. Assuming he can stay healthy, another run at an MVP award is not out of the question. He truly is a once-in-a-decade-type of talent and we should cherish the days we have No. 16 behind the plate. Mac's on pace for the Hall of Fame, folks.

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Of all the pictures you could’ve — really?

I’m here to kick ass and drink sweet tea, and dammit, I’m all out of sweet tea.

by TheLetter2 on Nov 11, 2011 10:20 AM EST reply actions

/cosigned

Good writeup though. Not a lot to say – Heap was awesome, then he got hurt, he’ll still be awesome in the years to come.

Most people use statistics the way a drunk would use a lamppost—for support, and not for illumination.
www.duwanis.com

by duwanis on Nov 11, 2011 10:23 AM EST up reply actions

Makes me want more Ross

give Heap regular rest to keep our most valuable player healthy.

http://sportsandgrits.com/

by Mr. Sanchez on Nov 11, 2011 10:44 AM EST up reply actions

I love that picture.

I love it when he gets angry. ;-)

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti

by sddbaker on Nov 11, 2011 10:27 AM EST up reply actions

I mean, maybe it’s a turn-on, sure. But I like sweet Mac. He’s such a nice guy!

I’m here to kick ass and drink sweet tea, and dammit, I’m all out of sweet tea.

by TheLetter2 on Nov 11, 2011 10:37 AM EST up reply actions

I think

He just wants his own Gatorade commercial, with funky James Brown soundtrack music.

by Sam Jethroe on Nov 12, 2011 2:15 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah, and Fredi Gonzalez was even more of a fool for continuously running Mac out there, while David Ross sat on a bench, for the final weeks. All the while Mac produced nothing, and it was apparently obvious to EVERYONE ELSE that Mac needed an ended breather. This is why David Ross is here. good stuff, Fredi.

Gonzalez couldn’t manage his way out of a little league game.

"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Gaby Sanchez - 1, Nyjer Morgan - 0

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Nov 11, 2011 11:36 AM EST reply actions

*extended breather

"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Gaby Sanchez - 1, Nyjer Morgan - 0

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Nov 11, 2011 11:37 AM EST up reply actions

That never made sense to me...

We have one of if not the best backup catcher in the league. Why not utilize that to its full benefit?

Go Braves, Canes, Tarheels and Panthers. That is all.

by jbeachbum24 on Nov 11, 2011 1:24 PM EST up reply actions

Because it’s more important that you prove you’re a gamer who will play hurt than it is that you get healthy and and actually make the team better. Grit wins championships.

Q: If not us, who? If not now, when? A: The Batman. And "when you least expect it."

by Lennox on Nov 12, 2011 1:45 AM EST up reply actions

I missed the memo

When Brian was appointed manager.

cc these things to me, people.

by Sam Jethroe on Nov 12, 2011 2:12 AM EST up reply actions

so right about rest

Not only Mac, Chipper was out there at third base moving like he was in quicksand. Fredi had already burned up the bull pen. But the article was about Mac and we are lucky to have the best catcher in baseball now and in the future. I just can’t help feeling that the Braves could go further with the talent we have if we had a better manager.

by BravesFanSince56 on Nov 11, 2011 12:01 PM EST reply actions

He was so good in the first half that you knew regression was due…but wow. It sure wasn’t gradual. But he was probably the one I yelled at through my TV the least in September…

by michaeldlee1480 on Nov 11, 2011 1:38 PM EST reply actions